On February 1, 2020, the Prime Minister held the fourth meeting of the Novel Coronavirus Response Headquarters at the Prime Minister’s Office.

At the meeting, a discussion was held on the response to the novel coronavirus.

Based on the discussion, the Prime Minister said,

“As of midnight this morning, it has become possible to implement measures as a Designated Infectious Disease, including hospitalization for the patients infected by the novel coronavirus. In addition, for the time being, we have started implementing extraordinary measures to deny entry of foreign nationals who have any history of staying in Hubei Province within 14 days and those who possess a Chinese passport issued by Hubei Province, unless there is any specific need. I ask all of you to exert efforts to avoid trouble on the ground, by preventing those to whom those measures apply from boarding aircraft, through collaboration among relevant parties, including airlines. Furthermore, I ask the immigration authority to strictly implement these measures, including identifying individuals to whom those measures apply with a system capable of smoothly and easily making the relevant determination, and to exert efforts to implement it adequately by sufficiently paying attention to individuals’ circumstances.

In addition, we have been implementing virus screening for the 565 people who have returned from Wuhan by yesterday, regardless of whether they are presenting with symptoms. Even for those individuals who have tested negative, we are thoroughly monitoring health condition of each and every person under appropriate controls, by stationing doctors at all accommodation facilities on a round-the-clock basis. We are also providing push-mode support for daily living essentials, including face masks, sanitizers, thermometers, and other daily items, to those privately-owned accommodations and government facilities who have pledged their cooperation. We remain committed to exert every effort to ensure appropriate health management of those returnees.

Moreover, the number of domestic cases has increased and it is necessary to further strengthen our efforts to address rising public concern. Along with providing swift and correct information, I ask the Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare to strengthen its system to respond to various concerns, by fundamentally strengthening consultation services through collaboration with local governments and relevant institutions. I also ask you to strengthen medical services in each region, including developing screening mechanisms and medical supplies, so that each individual can receive the necessary medical examinations and tests across the country.

Under the principle of making the necessary decisions and implementing them without hesitation, prioritizing the lives and health of the people the most, I ask the relevant ministers to plan further measures swiftly and implement them immediately, also taking into account the utilization of contingency funds.

In addition, the novel coronavirus has already brought significant impacts to all levels of Japanese economy and society, in particular local economies including tourism. The Government intends to pay full attention to those impacts and thoroughly respond to them, closely consulting with the ruling parties.

As the declaration issued by the World Health Organization (WHO) illustrates, this is truly an emergency. I want all ministers to do whatever you think necessary in your capacity and respond with a strong sense of crisis.”